Derek Mason receives raise, contract extension

Derek Mason will be the Vanderbilt head football coach for the foreseeable future.

Per Adam Sparks of the Tennessean, Mason and the University came to terms on a three-year contract extension with a raise and increased recruiting budget. This was confirmed by Vandy athletic director David Williams.

According to tax records, Mason pulled in about $2.5 million in base salary in 2015. Besides a pay increase, the Vandy head coach wanted to improve on the recruiting side of things.

“We wanted to put more money in (the recruiting budget), so they can go get those players as much as they can,” Williams said. “And we needed to put more money into Derek’s assistants to retain them because they were getting inquiries from other places.” – per the Tennessean

Mason’s career record at Vanderbilt isn’t great, 13-24 overall and 5-19 in the SEC, but a bowl appearance in 2016 was the tipping point for the extension. Key wins over Middle Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee propelled Vandy to finish with a 6-6 regular season record.

Another year with QB Kyle Shurmur and running back Ralph Webb give much excitement for the fans on West End heading into 2017.